School counsellor training, attitudes, and perceptions of preparedness to provide services to students with disabilities in inclusive schools in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of school counsellors’ attitudes and training on their perceptions of preparedness to provide services to students with disabilities (SWD). Participants were 105 practicing school counsellors who completed the Attitudes toward Disabled Persons Scale Form-O (ATDP-O) as well as the School Counsellor Preparedness Survey-Revised (SCPS-R) in a web-based format. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with three types of counsellor training (courses, experiences and conferences/workshops) and counsellor attitudes towards SWD. The results revealed that school counsellors’ attitudes and training significantly predicted preparedness with an approximately 10% of variance explained. Out of all four variables, attitudes appeared to be the only significant predictor of preparedness scores. Results also indicated that school counsellors did not feel completely prepared to work with SWD